Two longtime Seattle Public Schools employees have filed a lawsuit claiming they were forced out of their jobs after repeated retaliation and harassment by the district’s director of culinary services, according to a complaint filed in King County Superior Court.
The suit, filed Tuesday, names the district and Aaron Smith, the Culinary Services director, as defendants.
Plaintiffs Emme Ribeiro Collins, the district’s executive chef from 2019 to 2023, and Helen Jones, operations manager in culinary services from 1998 to 2023, allege that Smith targeted them after they raised concerns about his behavior and management practices…